Water heater



8 Q60 @QQ jifl eri 127m" 7 0% Allomy Patented July 19, 1932 PATENTALBERT Acxnoiv; or NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE WATER HEATER Application filedctober 17, 1930. Serial No. 489,446.

This invention relates generally to water heaters and particularly to agas water heater employing a short flame burner, and thermostatic andsteam pressure means associated with the heater for controlling thesupply of gas to the burner. 1 7

It is an object of this invention to provide a short flame burner in animproved water heater embodying convolutions of heater tubes in layerformation having the convolutions vertically staggered, and the burnerplate apertures arranged to follow'the contour of the convolutions ofthewater tubes, andthermostatic means associated with water tubes foroperatinga lever engaging the gas cut off valve in the gas supply, whenthe temperature of the water reaches a predetermined point, at whichtime the gas supply will be diminished or shut off, and steam pressureresponsive means for operating said valve in event of failure of It isalso an object of this invention to provide a short flame gas; burnerwater heater which is adapted to extraordinarily quickly heat watercirculated therethrough and which has the novelty and advantages whichwill be better understood'as the specification proceeds, and which inaddition is simple and cheap to operate and manufacture and is otherwiseadmirably adapted for the purpose for which it is designed.

These and other objects, the nature of the invention, its compositionand arrangement and combination of parts will be readily understood byanyone acquainted with the 'art to which thisinvention relates byconsulting the following descriptions of the drawing in whichi I Figure1 is a generalelevational view partly in cross section of my improvedgas water heater disclosing the arrangement and disposition of partsthereof, and a Figure '2 is a plan view of Figure 1 the upper portion ofthe casing removed and showing details of my improved water heaterpartially in cross section and V Figure 3 is a top view of the burnershowing thejets or apertures arranged to'follo w the convolutions ofthewatertubes,"

the thermostatic means to OFFICE" Figure 4 is a detail horizontalcrosssectiona I a1 view of thesupply valve and thermostatic and steamactuated mechanism,

Figure 5 is an enlarged horizontal" cross sectional view through the gasshut off valve. Referring in detail to the drawing it will be seen thatI provide a flat circular burner, r

5 provided with a central aperture 6 for accommodatingan uprushing airdraft and provided on its upper surface with a multiplicity of apertures,7 disposed and arranged V to follow the contourof the water tubesgenerally designated 8. a

- Legs 9 are provided for supporting the water heater upon a surface,and these consist of angularly disposed straps having laterallyprojecting feet portions, the upper ends of the straps being suitablysecured to the under side of the heater structure} "Supported by theburner isa casing generally low open bottomed cylinder formed by anannular ring being provided with a depending annular flange 13 which isspaced laterally 10 designated 11 which is in the form of asha'lcylindrical formation 11, andthisis provided centrallyv of itsupper wall with a-rising flange '15 which may form a pipe connection fora pipe arranged to convey away the prodnets of combustion of the burner.

Water pipes or tubes 8 are arranged. in two or more superposed layersand arranged in concentric convolution in each layer .con-V nected by aportion which reaches from the upper to the lower and centerconvolutions thereof. The convolutionsjust referredto are designated 16and 17 respectively and the connecting tube therebetween 18L j y Theconvolutions of each layer are arranged so'that the convolutions of thenext lower layer are disposedunderneath the space between the upperadjacent c'onvolutions, so that the flames from the burnerare V closelyimpinged upon all of the tubes, and the greatest advantage securedfromthe heating power of the burner. An outlet section of tubing ispassed through the wall of the houslng or casingat' one side thereofpreferably opposite to the inlet section 20.

The inlet section of tubing is provided with a'T-shaped' fitting 21which connects with a water supply pipe 22 atright'anglos shut off the spp of Water to'ther'heating I thereto. 1A mushroom valve 23 ope rated bya hand wheel 24 closes the opening of the supplypipe 22 as at 25 when itis deslred to tubes. A strip of preferably perforated aluminum,perforated to offer the least resistance to the passage oft-he water, isarranged as indicated at 26 for a suitable length in the section 20 ofthe convolutions of the tube,

'fso as to be quickly and readily affected by the heat of the water.

Theouter end of the thermostatic strip 26 7 is indicated at 27 and itpasses through, as shown in Figure 4, the section 20, loosely through anaperture 28 in a wall 29 at the rear end of-the portion 30 forming achamber and having a closed end 31 apertured at 32to receive a slidablerod 33 provided with a projecting pinfi t, the rod 33 being provided atits inner end with apiston 35 which is nor.- mally maintained againstthe. wall29 by a coiled spring 36 engaging against the end 31 andthesaid piston 35. p The portion 27 of the thermostatic strip, movesthrough the aperture 28, upon expansion of the strip and displaces thepiston against the spring36 gas valve, the. steam-passing through theaperture 28 in thewall 29 to build up pressure behind the piston. Theend of the thermostatic strip freely contacts with the piston, and it isnot secured to the piston;

V The numeral 37 designates generally an air gas mixing valve associatedwith the burner 5 and between the gas supply pipe .mostatic stripprojects itself against the pis- 38 and said mixing valve is a cut offvalve 39, which has instead of the usual hand wheel or hand lever, agear wheel 40 on the upper end of the valve.

apin 42 is a lever 43 having a rea-rwardly extended straight portion ltslotted as at 45 longitudinally thereof at the end for re-' ceivingslidably the pin 34 described above. -The lever 43 is provided with asegmental gear/L6 which engages with the gear 40.

It is thought to be obvious'that as the therton 35 to actuate the rod33outwardly that it will actuate the cut oil valve 39, to affect theflow of gas'from the supply pipe 38 to .the

gas: mixing valve V The same effect is achieved by an over pressure ofsteam on the piston 35; I

Obviously the preferable arrangement 1s fore, I have provided means forquickly out that the gas supply shall be gradually and partly or whollydiminishedby the expanding action of the thermostatic strip. Theretingoff the supply of gastotheextent nec- 'essary to properly control theheating tem perature of the burner, forsupplyingauniforniproperlyheatedsupply of hot water. The burner is especially constructed for quickheating by .means of short flames, di-

rectly in contact with each ofthe convolutions of the water heatingtubes.

so Itv is thought to be obvious that as the temperature in the waterheatin .tubes rises 7 above a certain point, the contro device pro videsthat the gas supply be gradually diminished until the desiredtemperature of 'water is reached, or if below the desired temperature a,contractionof thethermostatic strip would result inan increased supplyof gas. Thus control'for the burner in relation to the temperature inthe heating tubes eliminates all waste of fuel in connection with theuse of the burner.

tions of the tubes is provided 'for-highefliciency of'heating. Thus itwill'be' under-' The conforming of thejets to the convoluposed of fewand readily replaceable, and i durable parts.

' The provlsion of the perforated and preferably aluminum thermostaticstrip 36 is calculated to provide a very sensitive and re- 1 Having thusdescribedmy inventiomwhat I I claim as newis:

' Supported on abracket' tl and pivoted on I L In a gas water heaterthe, tyPQdQ scribed, a water heating" element comprising .sponsivemechanism. It obvious that the inner end of the strip 26 is: suitablyfastened within the tube. 1 o It ,islto be definitely u'nderstoodthat I.do

being disposed between adj acent convolutlons of the next lower coil,a-shor-t flame type gas burner beneath said element, said burner havingspirally positioned jets formed. and

positioned to-impingeagainst' the convolutions of the lowest coil thehottest'portion of their gas flames, the remaining"portior'i of theflames being 1 permitted to pass around the convolutions of thesaidlowest coil pinge the hot tip of the flame against said a directly heatthe convolutions of the superposed coils.

2. In a water heater of the type described, a heating coil composed of aplurality of superposed, continuous spiral pancake coils, and a gasburner of the short flame type having a multitude of jets arranged so asto imconvolutions indlvidually, said jets being arranged so as to followthe curvatures of said convolutions, the convolutions of any superposedpancake coil being arranged above the spaces between and separating adjace-nt convolutions of the next lower pancake.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

ALBERT ACKRON.

